In Search of Elusive, Invasive Scorpaeniformes on Florida Reefs

ABOARD THE LADY GO DIVER – Drifting on the gentle swells of the Atlantic Ocean a mile off Florida’s east coast, small groups of divers armed with spears and a target deliberately somersaulted backward off their boats into a sea so deep blue it was the color of ripe berries.

Diving to depths of up to 100 feet below the surface, they searched rocky and coral outcrops for elusive, invasive scorpaeniformes and killed as many as possible.

With venomous, feather-like spines, these beautiful fish — distinguished by their red, brown and white stripes — are threatening Florida’s coral reef ecosystems in such a dangerous way that the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has set up contests to reward recreational and commercial divers who kill and remove them. Monday was the last day of this year’s state contest.

Divers speared fish at depth and placed them, dead or alive, in clear containers to be returned to the boat and counted toward this year’s prize. Up top, back on the deck of the 46-foot dive boat, they carefully clipped off the venomous spines, which can inflict such severe damage that they are described as some of the most painful in the ocean. Every tail was counted toward this year’s prize.

The scorpionfish, which can grow to more than a foot long and is native to the South Pacific and Indian oceans, has become an ecological threat in Florida because it voraciously eats smaller fish and has no natural predators. It was first spotted in Florida waters in 1985. A single scorpionfish can wipe out native fish along stretches of Atlantic reefs.

Last year’s winner, Baye Beauford, 45, of Jacksonville, who owns an auto repair shop, caught 1,514 fish during the three-month summer tournament. In all, hundreds of Florida divers caught more than 30,000 fish during more than 900 trips last year.

The wildlife commission was expected to officially announce this year’s winner next month. Beauford led Florida with a score of 915 as of Monday evening, according to unofficial data.

In an interview late Monday night in Jacksonville, just after returning from another dive, Beauford said he dives for lionfish twice a week about 25 miles off the coast of northern Florida, where he said there are fewer recreational divers competing in lionfish fishing than in southern Florida.

This year, he said, he’s noticed fewer small scorpionfish on the reefs and more large ones. After talking with the state biologist, Beauford believes the scorpionfish in the areas he dives may be depleting the food supply of smaller reef fish — and eating the small ones of their own kind. Beauford said he’s also heard of nurse sharks preying on scorpionfish.

Three hundred miles south, aboard the Lady Go Diver off Pompano Beach, Tim Robinson stood in shorts and flip-flops, giving last-minute instructions to divers on how to sting rockfish. The boat is operated by DX “Dixie” Divers of Deerfield Beach.

Robinson is tanned, has close-cropped hair and a lobster tattoo that covers his entire right forearm. As of Monday night, he was in third place with 726 scorpaeniformes, according to unofficial results.

Robinson, 63, of Parkland in Broward County, leads the spearfishing expeditions as managing partner of LZK Group LLC, a Sunrise-based company that sells spearfishing equipment and scorpionfish under the ZooKeeper brand. Robinson regularly dives in the waters off Pompano Beach, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Boynton Beach. ZooKeeper sponsors the scorpionfish challenge with the Wildlife Commission.

“Right now, the only answer is divers, diving and shooting them,” Robinson said. “They’re trying to come up with some traps and stuff, but (it’s) hard because scorpionfish are a different species.”

Company spokeswoman Particia Mauldin said organizations like ZooKeeper are the main predators of lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean.

“If there was no one hunting there, the reef would be destroyed,” she said.

One of the divers on the trip was Cristina Parr, 40, of Loxahatchee. A former personal trainer who runs a medical spa for athletes, she began hunting scorpionfish as a hobby, she said. She appreciated Robinson’s knowledge and experience, which made it safer. Parr wasn’t interested in feeling the effects of the scorpionfish’s venom from the spike.

“They definitely make catching them safer,” Parr said. “They make catching them more attractive and easier, and they make diving more enjoyable without having to worry about getting stung.”

After two 30-minute dives, the group of about 15 people caught 10 lionfish and also caught several traditionally caught reef fish for dinner.

Despite the terrifying venom in its spines, the flesh of the lionfish is edible; it is said to resemble cod or snapper and has a buttery taste.

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This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at [email protected]You can make a donation to support our students Here.